System
An alphabetized list of systematic mechanics and miscellaneous UI found in Black Magic II. Anatomy of an Animation - Startup, Active Frames and Endlag The animation of every move in the game is structured with the same three stages -- startup, active frames, and endlag. 'Startup' ' Startup' frames, also known as windup frames, are the very beginning frames leading up to the attack or primary action. During this, the attack's hitbox is inactive (indicated as a green hitbox in the Training Room). Grabs and Guardbreaks typically have a large amount of startup. 'Active Frames' ' Active frames' are when a move is able to fulfill its purpose -- attacks can hit opponents, counters can defend the user against attacks, and blocking will actually block. During this, the attack's hitbox is active (indicated as a red hitbox in the Training Room). Attacks that strike in a lane, area of effect, or channel multiple hits of damage (e.g. Virtue SP8) typically have a large amount of active frames. 'Endlag' ' Endlag' is when after completing an action, the player enters frames where they cannot move before returning back to idle. An attack will often have much more endlag when it misses rather than when it hits. The more endlag a move has, the more likely and the heavier the enemy's punish will be. EX Specials typically have a large amount of endlag. Camera Camera 'is how the player's perspective of Black Magic II is angled. It can be changed between four different modes -- two of which exist through Lock-on, and two of which exist through Roblox's engine. *'Freecam '-- The default Roblox camera. While it is optimal for using mouse-guided attacks (e.g. Avalon SP4), it is nowhere near viable for anything else. *'Shiftlock -- Roblox's optional camera that allows the player to turn the character with the mouse with a crosshair. It can be toggled with the Shift key when enabled in Roblox's in-game settings. While it is optimal for freedom of movement and character-guided attacks (e.g. attacks from the front of the player), its crosshair is not always accurate. *'3D Lock-on' -- Black Magic II's default Lock-on camera. It can be toggled by hovering the cursor over an opponent's torso and pressing the Lock-on key '('Ctrl 'by default). While it is optimal for aiming character-guided attacks, it is severely lacking in depth perception. *'2D Lock-on '''-- Black Magic II's alternate Lock-on camera, remeniscent of fighting games similar to Street Fighter. It can be toggled with the '''Switch Camera key (ALT by default) while locked onto an opponent. While it is optimal for linear one-on-one duels, it is ineffective against multiple opponents. It is also occasionally responsible for combos dropping due to the player turning around mid-input. Kill Reward ]]A Kill Reward is a healing buff gifted to an attacker that has successfully killed another player. Upon killing an enemy, the player will be granted +40% of their total Health. If the enemy was killed by the damage over time (DOT) of the (-) Burn effect debuff, the applier of this debuff will not recieve a Kill Reward. The granted Health of a Kill Reward is doubled if the enemy was killed with an Execution. For a list of all classes' Executions, see Executions. Jump Buffer Jump buffering is a method of gaining higher altitude during attacks due to the mechanics of Roblox's engine. By tapping Space immediately after using an attack, the player will jump during the beginning of the move and perform a jump buffer. This will slightly increase the player's altitude and thus allow them to hit higher, or cover greater vertical distance. The effectiveness and viability of jump buffering depends on which attack is being used. For example, performing a jump buffer with Assailant LC will greatly increase the vertical distance it covers. This can be followed up with a Mod1 airdash to set up Assailant SP3, which can help climb steep cliffs, or Assailant SP2, which can hit enemies much farther away. Warning A Warning, or (!), is a visual indicator that the player is preparing a dangerous attack. It is indicated by a large, red exclamation point. They are frequently found in Guardbreaks and EX Specials. Category:Mechanics